Gillian Kirkwood is one of many students who is using easyfundraising to raise funds towards their higher education. Easyfundraising is fully behind all students in their raising, as we want to support them in gaining a qualification that will help them contribute to and drive the future economy and improvement for their local communities.
Gillian’s Masters Degree also has a deeper underlying social mission behind it. A degree which she hopes will help her improve the future for first-time mothers. We sat down with Gillian to find out more about her academic plans and her reason for choosing to raise with easyfundraising.
Tell us about your course
I already have a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications Studies, and next year I am looking to begin my part-time Masters in Applied Gender Studies at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. It will be tricky to balance the time between work and looking after my daughter but there’s a lot of passion and motivation behind this qualification for me, so I will find a way.
Why have you chosen to apply for that course?
In July 2021, I found out I was pregnant, and I was petrified. My first thought was ‘how am I going to have a baby when I’m this petrified?’ Then a good friend who’d not long had her first child when I became pregnant mentioned Hypnobirthing. She suggested I read The Positive Birth Company’s book ‘Hypnobirthing: Practical ways to make your Birth Better’ by Siobhan Miller as well as signing up for their digital Hypnobirthing course. It sounds so cheesy and cliché but reading the book and completing the course was a life changer in so many ways. Hypnobirthing transformed me from a woman petrified of childbirth to a woman that felt empowered.
Hypnobirthing made me realise why I was so petrified of childbirth – the media. I’m convinced this fear comes from the way childbirth is represented – or should I say misrepresented in the TV, films, books, magazines, newspapers and online content we consume. Reading about the media’s influence in Siobhan’s book was a real lightbulb ‘Aha!’ moment, probably even more so because I come from a Media and Communications background – it really struck a chord with me. Since then I have been on a mission to create a societal change around how the media represent childbirth. I feel the best way forward is to produce research on misrepresentations of childbirth in the media through academia.
Ultimately, I can’t predict how my research will impact society, but one thing I know for certain, is that I want to start blazing that trail for my daughter’s generation and the generations to come.
Why do you need to fundraise?
Unfortunately, the fees for my Masters course are eye-watering and as a part-time student there are little to no opportunities for funding other than a loan, which is my very last resort.
I would feel truly humbled by anyone that decided to support to my cause. I keep reminding myself that my cause is an important one and one which I hope will change the way society views and represents childbirth, removing fear from the picture altogether.
Why did you decide to sign up to easyfundraising?
Like a lot of people, I find it incredibly difficult asking outright for money, especially in the current financial climate. But after speaking with one of easyfundraising’s specialists – which I would highly recommend if you’re needing more guidance with your cause – they fully explained how easyfundraising works. It’s such a simple but effective way to raise funds without directly asking people for their money. Also, the fact that I can personally contribute to my cause makes me feel good.
What is your fundraising target for the next 12 months?
I’m aiming high and would love to raise £1,000 in the next 12 months. Realistically, I think £500 in 12 months is more achievable and would still be an incredible amount of money – and a big help towards my fees!
If anyone is out there thinking of signing up as one of your easyfundraising supporters, what would you say to them?
I’d be so grateful to anyone who supported me. If like me, you feel frustrated and angry having to witness childbirth being misrepresented in the media whether that be TV, film, online, in newspapers, magazine and books, and agree research is the first step to creating a significant societal change in the way this beautiful, normal, everyday topic is handled then please do get behind me. Hopefully, my story gives you a sense of just how passionate I am about this cause and my drive to make a change.
If you would like to support Gillian in her studies, you can sign up to support her here.
If you are a student looking for support with your fundraising, register your easyfundraising cause here.